I'm still upset that phone-standalone android auto was discontinued.
post
My biggest complaint is that light mode and dark mode can't be tied to the phone. My head unit doesn't get the right signal for automatic to work and it's annoying to change in the settings.
My major complaint is that Android Auto is a proprietary standard that doesn't have an official open source implementation.
Just Google trying to do more vendor lock-in along with Apple.
I'm not too surprised by this, tbh. Cars are a lethal object, and even though you can get all manner of aftermarket infotainment systems, that doesn't mean Google would want to have any culpability in a crash that occurred using a system running in an open-source system of its own making. You know how the legal system can be when apportioning blame...
Makes my phone overheat and drain battery when using wireless AA, which is all my car supports. When I'm in a rental and use wired AA: no problems.
I've been using android auto with a 2017 Mazda cx-5 for like 4 years now, at first on a Samsung galaxy S8, and now on a pixel 5. It's useful, and don't get me wrong, waaaaaaaaaaaay better then what's built into the car. But holy fucking christ is it a buggy sack of shit. Here's a short selection of bugs i've had with this setup over the years:
- The entire UI just randomly freezing for a solid minute
- Sound not working for music, and the whole thing just straight-up crashing when trying to play something.
- Music absolutely refusing to play (to the point I have to reboot my fucking phone).
- Voice commands not working period.
- Not carrying over route planning from my phone to the car when plugging in.
And a bunch of other shit that I either can't be assed to write about or don't remember right now. PLUS, whenever anything breaks you never know if it's the car, the phone, or the connection. Sometimes just unpluging it works, sometimes I have to reboot the phone, and once in a while I've had to turn my fucking car off and back on....
Honestly the overwhelming emotions that are associated with android auto for me are "annoyance" and "again?". This is unfortunate as it is a really cool idea and a neat piece of tech. Maybe one day it won't be a flaming pile of garbage and actually pleasant to use.
It seems like a lot of people have issues with the implementation in the cx-5. I suspect they have run too much cable between the deck and the USB port: a common cause of issues.
As the years have rolled on, Android Auto has improved in leaps and bounds. Newer decks and vehicles don't seem to suffer such issues. I use a Kenwood DMX820WS and a brand new phone and I don't get any of those issues at all.
My early experiences were much like yours.
I really wish I'd waited another year to buy a deck with a wireless implementation.
I'm glad we're finally getting the ability to open Google Maps on our phones while it's also open on the car's display.
Wait, this is possible now?
all 11 comments